Chinese International Students in the United States: The Interplay of Students’ Acculturative Stress, Academic Standing, and Quality of Life

Abstract

BackgroundAcculturation could cause grave health consequences in international students. However, there is a shortage of research into how acculturative stress might affect international students’ quality of life in light of their academic standing and experience. The lack of research is particularly pronounced among Chinese international students, representing the largest body of international students studying in the United States (U.S.). Thus, to bridge the research gap, this study aims to examine the interplay between international students’ acculturative stress, academic standing, and quality of life among a nationally representative sample of Chinese international students studying in the United States.MethodsAn online survey that gauges Chinese international students’ levels of acculturative stress, academic standing, and quality of life was developed. Over 350 higher education institutions across the United States were approached, including public universities, private universities, and community colleges, among which approximately 220 institutions responded positively and supported survey distribution. A total of 751 students completed the survey. Multiple regression analyses were carried out to examine the associations between students’ acculturative stress, academic standing, and quality of life.ResultsFindings reveal that acculturative stress negatively affects all four domains of Chinese international students’ quality of life, irrespective of their academic standing. Data analyses also show that compared to master’s and doctoral students, undergraduates experience the highest levels of acculturative stress. Furthermore, a significant difference emerged among undergraduate and doctoral international students’ acculturative stress levels, but not among undergraduate and master’s students, or master’s and doctoral students.ConclusionOur study found that, compared to master’s and doctoral students, undergraduates had more significant acculturative stress associated with lower levels of quality of life. This finding highlights the potentially positive role of academic experience – while acculturative stress deteriorates international students’ quality of life, students’ academic standing and experience could be the protective factor in the equation. Future research could further examine how universities and colleges can capitalize on their academic apparatuses and resources to improve international students’ academic performance and students’ acculturation experience and quality of life.

Loneliness and quality of life: Perceived online and offline social support among Sub-Saharan African students in China during the COVID-19 lockdowns

“…It was confirmed through their study that the 6-item perceived social support questionnaire in general showed good psychometric properties hence a reliable assessment instrument [46]. They also mentioned that because of its brevity, it can be used in large-scale as well as cross-cultural studies for a quick, economical screening of general perceived social support as cross-cultural measurement invariance testing demonstrated partial strong measurement equivalence across cultures [30]. F-SozU K-6 was modified to measure both online and offline perceived social support of international students.…”

“…QoL addresses the subjective evaluation of individuals' interpretation of life outcomes regarding their immediate environment's culture, goals, expectations, standards, and value systems [28]. Several studies have examined the QoL of international students [29,30], while a few have faintly focused on SSA students as part of a more extensive study [2,31,32]. None specifically studied SSA students as a wholesome group.…”

Student academic stress during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic literature review

“…The prevalence of burnout in medical students during high medical training is about 43.3%, where 35-45% of medical students experience high emotional fatigue, 26-38% experience high depersonalisation, and 45-56% have suggestive symptoms [45], [49]. Academic stress impacts the quality of life of international students based on their academic standing and experience [57]. The level of academic stress in health science students (nursing, midwifery, and medicine) is higher than students in other fields of science.…”

Improving the first-year experience of Chinese international students through responsive pedagogy: Insights from F&M in Shanghai

“…The other key theme that may be related to the F&M in Shanghai project is research on the Chinese international student experience in the US. Literature focused specifically on Chinese students studying abroad has been plentiful in recent years; for example, there are a number of studies focusing on sociocultural, acculturative, and academic stressors and their impacts on Chinese students (e.g., Su et al, 2021;Yan, 2017;Yan & Berliner, 2009;Yan & Berliner, 2013), social interactions with domestic and international peers (e.g., Meng et al, 2018;Sato et al, 2020;Wang, 2017;Wilson et al 2020;Yao, 2016), and choice of host country and purpose in studying abroad (e.g. Chao et al, 2017;Dai & Garcia, 2019;Gong & Huybers, 2015;Yu, 2021).…”